some things just make me want to cry

[thanate]

In an attempt to keep kids from getting poisoned by mass-produced chinese-manufacture toys, the government is effectively making it impossible for children to have non-mass-produced toys. As of February, all products intended for children under 12 that are sold in the US must now have extensive (read: expensive) lab testing to prove that they are made of safe materials. Which is fine if you've got a batch of several thousand or several million that you only have to test once. However, the problems they are reacting to were in Chinese manufacture toys, and the people who won't be able to afford the requirements are the individual doll-makers, and people who sell wooden cars or little walking ducks on sticks at craft fairs, and about whose products there have been no complaints. My teddy bear, who has propped my shoulder up when I sleep for most of the last twenty-six years, is one-of-a-kind. And I can personally guarantee she's been perfectly safe the entire time.

And according to the article in the Post from over the weekend, a lot of the large companies are having their testing done in China, which rather seems to miss the point...

Please write to your congresspeople. Seriously. This is not ok.

Comments

[spikywheel.livejournal.com]

It isn't just toys. It is anything made for children.

Clothes included.

We have GOT to get an exception to this passed or it will KILL small businesses.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I actually first saw this from your post, and didn't re-post at the time because it came in the week I didn't have a computer.

I'm just so completely floored by the idea that the things I think of as traditional american toys are going to be illegal that the clothes and other stuff just doesn't even register. Although the idea that this could easily kill things like diaper services as well is kind of appalling, too. It's just so stupid.

[grauwulf.livejournal.com]

that's dumb-tarded. I sent letters to all of my congress persons as well as house rep.

Fight the Power.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I kind of wish we'd bought one of those stuffed tool sets after thanksgiving, just in case.

One more link: change.org thread on it (https://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia). Still working out what the premise is on the site, but apparently threads with a sufficient number of votes get onto Obama's desk.